KALAMAZOO, MI --Tiara Gaillard was checking her email this spring after a cheerleading event when she saw a notice from the Stanford University admission office.

"Congratulations," it began.

Tiara Gaillard

"I didn't even read the rest of it. I just started screaming and jumping around," said Tiara, 17, who is graduating June 4 from Kalamazoo Central High School.

Going to Stanford has been a longtime dream for Tiara, but one that seemed improbable considering the prestigious California university draws applicants from some of the top students in the country -- and has an acceptance rate of less than 7 percent.

"I didn't tell anybody but my family that I was applying," said Tiara, who is thinking of majoring in public policy. "I set my sights high, but I didn't know how possible this would be."

It certainly helped that the Kalamazoo Central student has a grade-point average of 4.2 and a ACT composite score in the 95th percentile.

She also has a life story much different from that of the typical Stanford student.

She is the youngest of six children, raised by a single mother who struggled financially. After Tiara's parents divorced, her mother and the children spent a short time living in a tent at a California campsite, then moved into a rehabilitated crack house. They were the only minority family in a small town, and a complaint from neighbors led Tiara and her sister into a short stint in foster care.

After the family moved to Kalamazoo when Tiara was 9, they lived on Kalamazoo's North Side, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Recently, Tiara and her mother -- who is a massage therapist -- moved from the North Side to live with Tiara's grandmother.

Certainly from a monetary standpoint, it was not a privileged upbringing. But Tiara says it's been a privileged childhood in other ways.

"Just to have the family I have, I've been so blessed," Tiara says.

Tiara's mother moved to Kalamazoo to be closer to extended family. She also was drawn by The Kalamazoo Promise and the idea of raising her children -- who are African-American, white and Native American -- in a diverse community.

No surprise, Tiara says a deep appreciation for family, multiculturalism and education are dominant themes in her life.

"My family is incredibly close and I don't think any one of us would have accomplished what we've accomplished without that closeness," she said.

"All of us were on the honor roll in high school and all of my brothers and sisters have gone on to college," she said.

She has three siblings who went onto Western Michigan University, one to Michigan State and one to University of Michigan.

During her years at Kalamazoo Central, Tiara has taken a number of Advanced Placement classes and also taken classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College through dual enrollment.

But what she has really appreciated about K-Central is the diversity of the student body. Tiara said she has friends from a wide range of backgrounds, and has learned something from all of them.

"I've been able to see how different people live from different walks of life," she said. "I've learned to appreciate that everybody has something to contribute from their family and their culture."

As for her own success, she hopes that others at Kalamazoo Central can see her as someone who makes teenagers realize "you can do what you want to do."

"Maybe what people can learn from me is that a situation that many people would look at as a disadvantage can be flipped around and turned into an advantage," she said. "It can make you stronger."

She noted it's likely her background as a high-achieving student from a low-income household caught the eye of the Stanford admissions office and gave her an edge. Her mother's income also means that Stanford will cover the cost of her tuition, room and board.

Going to Stanford is a dream come true, "100 percent," Tiara said.

But leaving Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo Central will be bittersweet, she added.

"For such a long time, we've all been saying that we can't wait to get out of here," she said. "But I know there are going to be a lot of things I'm going to miss.

"There's only four days left" of school for K-Central seniors, she said, "and I'm going to savor every one."

Julie Mack covers K-12 education and writes a column for Kalamazoo Gazette. Email her at jmack1@mlive.com, call her at 269-350-0277 or follow her on Twitterat kzjuliemack.